Detroit rock legend Bob Seger took a packed American Airlines Center on a thrill ride Thursday evening. Joined by the touring lineup of his Silver Bullet Band — a large ensemble complete with horn section — the 69-year-old dynamo proved that he’s lost none of his performing spark since the ’70s and ’80s heyday. You should have seen him pump those fists.

Unlike some other legacy acts that have come through our larger venues, Seger was happy to give his surprisingly rowdy crowd exactly what they wanted. He delivered every memorable hit with enthusiasm, from opener “Roll Me Away” to two encore sets including “Against the Wind” and the restless anthem “Night Moves.”

In between the album rock classics, the good-timing audience received well the new tracks from Seger’s latest album Ride Out — some bluesy, others twangy.

No song selection seemed out of place, though, save for an overly bombastic take on the Wilco-Billy Bragg track “California Stars.” Overall, the setlist and the stage production moved along seamlessly. That smoothness allowed us to lean in and focus on the skill of Seger’s band.

For anyone who’s spent late hours spinning ’70s albums Night Moves and Live Bullet, the concert offered up the therapeutic rock ’n’ soul of that era in vivid, living color.

The cover songs Seger chose all had personal meaning for him. He shouted out Otis Clay before putting his soul into “Tryin’ to Live My Life Without You.” He got a huge reception for a song honoring Dallas legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, “Hey Gypsy.” And the John Hiatt tune “Detroit Made” harnessed just the right amount of celebratory energy leading into the evening’s encores.

Dressed in blue jeans, a casual shirt and an interesting black headband (possibly to keep those enviable locks out of his eyes), Seger went back and forth between working the crowd, guitarless, and seated with an acoustic. He did the latter for the ’80s staple “Like a Rock” which featured his most flawless vocal of the night. He also went to the piano to do what he said had been his mother’s favorite song, the soft and tender “We’ve Got Tonight.”

Bands of all eras could learn something about showmanship from Seger and his cast of musicians. They made a highly choreographed arena rock setlist come off as urgent and spontaneous. That’s difficult to do at any age. Long live Bob.

Billy Joel performs after receiving the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

In my nostalgia-rich prepping for tonight’s Billy Joel concert at American Airlines Center, I watched a recent public television broadcast during which the singer was presented the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. It’s the highest honor in the land for the art, given by the music division of the Library of Congress and named after iconic American songsmiths George and Ira Gershwin.

As part of the ceremony, filmed in Washington in November and broadcast on PBS stations January 2, many music notables performed for Billy and other dignitaries before he ultimately accepted the prize and did a few tunes himself.

Among those covering the Joel songbook were Texan sangers Natalie Maines and LeAnn Rimes. See their renditions of “She’s Got a Way” and “Lullabye (Goodnight my Angel)” below. Rimes wowed me with moments of surprising subtlety.

No disrespect to the ladies’ performances, but the most stunning solo turn of the evening came from John Mellencamp (who’ll be at McFarlin Auditorium March 7). He changed up the melody and stripped down the arrangement of “Allentown” in a way that put extra emphasis on its lyrics.

To cap off the evening, Billy was joined by all the show’s guest stars for a rousing round of “Piano Man.” Check out Kevin Spacey’s harmonica skills.

Are you going to the Billy Joel concert tonight? What songs would you most like to hear?

One of the most successful boy bands of all time is forming yet again as a man band and hitting the road this summer. The New Kids on the Block, who’ve continued to sell out arenas into the new millennium with a mix of nostalgic lineups and ride-or-die fans, announced “The Main Event” tour on the Web and on Good Morning America this morning.

Not only will the Boston dudes be performing all their hits and newer, less-cheesy tracks in the round (or “in the square,” as pointed out on GMA) but they’ll have barstools and long tables on the perimeter of the stage for the luckiest of fans. Opening acts are no slouches in the hitmaking department, either: The remaining members of TLC and superstar rapper Nelly will fill out the “Main Event” bill.

When does all this madness come to Dallas, you and every thirtysomething woman you know will ask? Well, the tour will arrive at American Airlines Center on May 14, according to the band’s site. Ticket sale dates are here.

Good morn or evening friends, I’m happy to pass on the news that the great Stevie Wonder has added a Dallas date to his “Songs in the Key of Life Performance Tour.” If you didn’t already glean it from the title, the tour finds Wonder and a large cast of backing players performing his 1976 album opus front to back.

Wonder and company will arrive at American Airlines Center on March 22 (my birthday, coincidentally … hint hint). Tickets for the production go on sale January 24 at 10 a.m. at LiveNation.com, but, according to the concert announcement release, “Citi cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets beginning Tuesday, January 20, at 10 a.m. local time. For complete pre-sale details, visit www.citiprivatepass.com.”

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hosted "Monday Night Raw" at American Airlines Center in 2009. This one will be just as epic.

Getting my hopes up for the new year is news today that WWE is coming back to Dallas on Monday, Jan. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Ave.

Disclaimer: Because I’m talking about wrestling, I’m allowed all of these exclamation points.

Billed as “the biggest Monday Night Raw ever to take place in Dallas” (of course it is), this will be one special episode. Hulk Hogan! Shawn Michaels! Scott Hall and Kevin Nash! It’s the reunion to end all reunions. This, honey, is a true supergroup!

Also scheduled are the Divas (if we must), Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, the Big Show (!), the USOs, Gold & Stardust (love the name), among others. And best of all? Best of all?! You can get tickets for the low, starting at only $20.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, on the Monday prior, Mick Foley is bringing his one-man show to the Addison Improv! (I’m about to faint right now from this one-two punch.)

Cactus Jack or Mankind or whatever you want to call him (as long as you call him), Foley is an accomplished author, too, with 10 published books. He’s also a producer and an advocate for RAINN, an anti-sexual assault organization. I love him. Tickets are $25. Call 972-404-8501.

Fleetwood Mac comprises former lovers, ex spouses, longtime friends and a tumultuous biography. Like any musical group that has survived decades of ups and downs, the members must constantly work at it to recapture their old chemistry.

That workmanlike spirit helped to define the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band’s sold-out show on Sunday night at American Airlines Center. Rejoined by vital vocalist and keyboardist Christine McVie after her 16-year-touring hiatus, the Mac leaned in admirably through a two-hour-plus performance that veered from soul-soothing to serviceable and back again.

Understandably, much fanfare was made of McVie’s return: Her warm, familiar vocals provided several highlights, from the smoky seduction of “You Make Loving Fun” to the melodic bliss of ’80s smashes “Everywhere” and “Little Lies.” Despite her solid performance, McVie was never one to bask in the spotlight.

Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, however, were more than happy to soak up the love of the audience on Sunday. With McVie on keys, her ex-husband, John, on bass and Mick Fleetwood behind his drums for most of the evening, it was up to the group’s two relative “newbies” to do the crowd work.

Buckingham kept the folks up front entertained by harnessing a twenty-something’s energy, frequently screaming out lyrical lines and jumping into rock-god postures. Nicks was simply herself — a twirling and swaying mystical sage armed with raspy power pipes and a streamer-clad tambourine.

When the band took the stage to kick things off with “The Chain,” the entire arena leapt to its feet and folks around me were pointing out Nicks to each other (“There she is!”). The three vocalists, embellished by a set of backup singers, took a full verse and chorus to fully find their harmonic sweet spot.

Nicks continued to get better and better throughout the night, at first avoiding the highest notes on “Dreams” and “Rhiannon,” but later reaching the mountaintops on “Gypsy” and the spine-tingling classic, “Gold Dust Woman.” She and Buckingham shined during what was essentially an intermission for the rest of the band — a three-song mini-set consisting of “Big Love,” “Landslide” and “Never Going Back Again.” All spotlighted Buckingham’s acoustic finger-picking skills, while the middle song benefited from Nicks’ refreshingly unsentimental vocal delivery.

As other legacy bands are wont to do, Fleetwood Mac’s players introduced a few of their songs by recalling elements of the band’s backstory. Nicks charmed while explaining the origins of the first line of “Gypsy.” Buckingham spoke to how certain tunes’ meanings have changed for him over the years. McVie got the biggest laugh of the evening while introducing “Over My Head”: “This goes back to the days when John and I were still married. Remember that, John?”

Thirty or so dates into their current tour, now might be a good time for the Mac to consider making a few edits. For instance, unnecessary drum and guitar solos during “I’m So Afraid” significantly slowed down the pace toward the end of the show, a point when most acts would try to speed it up. And then came another odd drum solo during the encore set. Fleetwood shut his eyes, played a variety of rhythms and screamed at the crowd like a madman — it seemed indulgent, even if it might have given folks one more chance to hit the beer stands.

My few complaints probably won’t register with diehard fans of Fleetwood Mac. Anyone who delights in the band’s unique blend of creative voices would have been thrilled to hear Buckingham toast “a poetic, profound and prolific new chapter” from the stage.

A new album is expected next year, as well as a second leg of the On With the Show tour (it returns to AAC on March 4). If that means I’ll get to see Nicks twirl in the shadows one more time, sign me up.

Usher performs at the American Airlines Center Thursday December 4, 2014.

Pop superstar Usher came out swinging Thursday evening at American Airlines Center, kicking off the Dallas stop of his UR Experience Tour with pyrotechnics, sensational dance breaks and a whole lot of sweat. The first hit of the night was the 1997 single “My Way,” followed by later smash “OMG,” and then “Love In This Club.” All crowd igniters in their own way.

But as the 36-year-old artist and recent Voice coach continued to give the performances everything he had, literally dripping in perspiration but never flubbing a move or a high note, the crowd became strangely still and disengaged. How were they not entertained by the high-tech triangular set, the large band complete with horn section, the uber-talented 7-person dance crew and the singing, dancing dynamo himself?

We actually started wondering, during a breakneck run of “Twisted,” “Caught Up” and “She Came to Give It To You,” if the infectious enthusiasm of the show’s beginning moments could ever be restored.

Turns out the ladies dominating the healthy-but-not-capacity crowd were simply holding out for some good ol’ slow jams. All it took for the singer to find his sweet spot again was to roll out his sexiest musical chestnuts, rapid-fire. Many arena performers offer medleys in order to cover obligatory hits in quick fashion, but this time the strategy proved a show-saver. “Confessions,” “I Need a Girl,” “I Don’t Mind,” “Burn” — each snippet breathed greater life into the fans around us and everywhere else in the house. And when the famously fit singer changed into a tank top and gold chain, forget it: They were at his command.

Usher seemed happiest when he was connecting with and singing with his audience during the more intimate songs. But he looked the most impressive while dancing to the faster ones. Taking Michael Jackson’s basic concept of moonwalking to the next level, he appeared at times to defy gravity, as did his male and female dancers.

Some of the between-song moments revealed a performer comfortable enough to speak at length without necessarily having a segue. Usher said he was proud to have been born in Dallas, even though he was raised elsewhere. He expressed appreciation for both his old and new fans, saying that bringing them out to this tour felt like a family reunion.

The artistic high point near the end of the two-hour concert involved the recent single “Good Kisser,” which thrived on forward-looking beats, note-perfect vocals and joyful group choreography. The only lag of the evening came just before that, when Usher demonstrated his serviceable drumming skills for a bit too long.

But by the time he reached the apex of the evening with “Yeah!” and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love,” any and all awkwardness had dissipated, and folks were left with the memory of a good show from a great showman.

Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond performs at his former high school, Erasmus Hall High School, for his first-ever performance in his hometown in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Sept. 29. They must have one heck of a music program: Barbra Streisand is also an Erasmus alum. (PHOTO: Evan Agostini/Invision)

Pop-rock singer-songwriter-guitarist legend Neil Diamond, 73, certainly hasn’t let age slow him down one bit. He just keeps churning out albums and touring like crazy, and those of us who are fans love every minute of it.

I admit it, I’m a certified Diamond Girl (I have the T-shirt to prove it), and I’ve been a fan for 40 years. I wasn’t a rabid fan, though, till I was 15 and saw him in concert for the first time. You may not even think you like his music, but he puts on one wildly entertaining show and seeing him in concert will almost certainly change your mind. Diamond was and remains my all-time favorite fantasy musical boyfriend (my husband understands about my fantasy boyfriends; he thinks I’m strange, but I’m OK with that — he does get a tad concerned when I get to interview one of them in person, though).

As a teen and in my 20s, I vividly remember camping overnight at Reunion Arena (with hundreds of other fans) to be close to the front of the line every time tickets for a concert came out. (Remember that, those of you under, say 40 — when we had to LINE UP to get tickets, rather than just having ultra-fast typing fingers online?) My friend Kathy and I once followed his bus back from Fort Worth after a concert there, across Interstate 30 to the Hyatt in downtown Dallas where he was staying. Neither of us had our cameras, but someone took a picture of us with him AND NEVER SENT IT TO US (it would have had to be by mail, which would have required a stamp, but still, SHAME ON YOU, you evil photo-hoarding person!). I even had a group of friends who saved our money and vacation time and followed him around on tour. We actually INVENTED the “Diamond Girl” fan concept, which is based on one of his songs. We were groupies in every way except we never, ever slept with the band.

Anyway, the man, we said, will sprinkle his exquisite Diamond dust on May 28, 2015, at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Tickets go on sale Oct. 13 through Live Nation. Diamond has a new album, Melody Road, set for release on Oct. 21. The tour will include 29 stops in the U.S. and Canada plus one stop in Mexico City, which will be his first time performing or visiting there.

Let must just summarize my feelings as subtly as I can: HALLELUJAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show is a comin’ through soon!

Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour" comes to American Airlines Center on July 25 and 26, 2014.

The spirit of the late Michael Jackson was alive inside Dallas’ American Airlines Center Friday, as pop music lovers relived the King’s biggest hits via Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour.” A second and final performance of the show takes place Saturday, July 26 at 8 p.m.

Fans ages five to 50-plus were treated to a visual feast of intricate costumes, transformative stage production and, of course, decades worth of iconic dance sequences. In fact, the show was a 75/25 split between dance choreography and circus-like acrobatics.

The emphasis on dance did not go unappreciated, though, as crowds gyrated and arm-waved like the best of Jackson’s music videos. At one point, the show’s group of ringleaders – Michael Jackson look alikes from several different eras – engaged the audience with a dance lesson from the memorable “Beat It” battle. What flipping, flying, tumbling and aerial work was incorporated wowed onlookers beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Here are the five best things about The Immortal World Tour.

‘Cause this is Thriller. For the closing number for Act I, Cirque dancers channeled their inner beasts during a riveting performance to “Thriller.” Mummies draped in white cloth and bats with beating red eyes came alive, transforming the creepy stage setup into a groovy graveyard outside what were supposed to be the gates of Neverland Ranch.

My lovely mother, Joanne Ricciardi, poses with a couple of Michael Jackson look-alikes after "The Immortal World Tour" at American Airlines Center on July 26, 2014.

Contortionists, silk acrobats and pole dancers, oh my! As the beat for “Dangerous” came over the speakers, pole dancer Anna Melnikova stripped her white suit to reveal sparlking pink undergarments, strutted down the catwalk to 50-foot pole and climbed aboard. Her solo, complete with splits, lateral suspensions and dripping in sex appeal, stole the air from the room. Contortionist Baaska Enkhbaatar and aerial silk artist Giulia Piolanti captivated similarly. Enkhbaatar emerged from under a page of a larger than life book on stage as a chilling reptile, crawling and molding her body into slinky, unnatural shapes. Piolanti worked her way to the top of her silks near the arena’s scoreboard before unraveling in a death drop toward the floor of the stage. All three women excelled combining shock value with their talents.

The youngest Jackson fans. Many of The Immortal World Tour’s attendees were too young to have a driver’s license, but they may have been the most emphatic in the venue. I sat near one 12-year-old, dressed in a black sequin jacket with white armband, Bad T-shirt and white beaded glove, who knew the words to every song and had the dance moves to match.

A melting pot of dance styles. Though most of Cirque’s choreography was true to the King of Pop – crotch grabs and moonwalking included – the show featured a variety of other styles, including hip-hop, pop-locking, African dance, ballet and tap. Of special note was Jean “BBoy Hourth” Sok, a one-legged dancer who performed technical hip-hop freezes on his forearm crutches as well as some breakdancing.

Best-of medley. The finale was a high-energy medley featuring songs “Can You Feel It,” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Billie Jean,” and “Black or White” alongside explosive choreography. LED costumes flashed all colors of the rainbow as acrobats back-flipped down the catwalk and aerial dancers swung overhead. It capped an exciting tribute to the man who lived in an artistic category all his own.

Cher performs onstage at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday, March 26, 2014.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

Cher’s voice resonated from behind a curtain at a packed American Airlines Center in Dallas. Due to audio difficulties, the pop legend had been standing in costume for 25 minutes waiting for the show to start, and she didn’t seem enthused.

The fans, on the other hand, were anxiously squirming. That Wednesday night show was, most likely, the last opportunity they would get to see Cher in concert on what she would later call her “new and improved farewell, farewell tour.”

Cher may have been the main event, but entertainment began as soon as attendees walked in the venue. Fans — most in the 50-years-plus range — dressed in lavish costumes with no shortage of sequins, rhinestones or feathers. A few fanboys in the first row wore homemade T-shirts with iron-on pictures of previous times they met Cher. One couple opted for a 1960s head-to-toe Sonny and Cher look, while another uncannily resembled openers Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.

Celebrating 35 years on stage, Benatar and Giraldo impressively rocked the highlights of their catalog, including “Shadows of the Night,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “Heartbreaker,” which included a mini reprise of Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, and the White Stripes songs. Amazingly, Benatar’s gritty and powerful voice hasn’t wilted.

None could upstage the queen diva, however. From the moment Cher arrived on stage in a dazzling pharaoh outfit and feather headdress for “Woman’s World,” the concert was a non-stop sensory feast with no less than 10 eccentric costume changes, including a variety of styled and colored wigs.

After “Strong Enough,” Cher swiftly morphed from Egyptian pharaoh to devilish temptress, emerging from the stage floor on a sparkling chandelier for “Dressed to Kill,” off 2013’s Closer to the Truth. She then jetted back to the ’60s with a red sequin dress and feather jacket for “The Beat Goes On” before becoming: the star of her own circus (“Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves”), a glamorous Indian chief in floor-length headdress (“Half Breed”), a burlesque dancer (“Welcome to Burlesque”), byzantine goddess (“I Hope You Find It”) and gladiator (“Take it Like a Man”), among others.

In what the singer said was a first for the tour, Cher performed “I Got You Babe” as a duet with a video of Sonny Bono, who seemed to be looking directly at her.

Ornate set pieces constantly flew on and off stage between songs, much like I’d expect to see at Cher’s recent Las Vegas residency. And a team of skilled dancers and aerial artists entertained during the gaps for wardrobe changes. Just watching the spectacle was exhausting.

The performance was most explicitly an homage to Cher’s career. Intermittent video montages chronicled her work both on stage and screen.

And age is clearly just a number: At 67, she wowed the audience with exact vocal execution, and she looked fabulous doing it. She can even still pull off her outfits of yesteryear — like a costume Wednesday night that was strikingly reminiscent of her black, barely-there leotard from the “If I Could Turn Back Time” video.

If this really was goodbye, Cher went out with a bang. Though it’s obvious her followers would welcome a third chance to dance her out the door.

Rihanna attends as the Rihanna for River Island collection is launched at the Oxford Street River Island store on March 4, 2013 in London, England.

R&B-pop singer Rihanna had to cancel her Dallas and Houston concerts earlier this month due to illness. The new dates, with opening act A$AP Rocky, have just been announced on her Diamonds World Tour; tickets available through Ticketmaster.

* Dallas: Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center.

* Houston: Nov. 14 (time TBA) at Toyota Center.

Tickets for the previously scheduled shows will be honored at the new concerts. If you can’t make the new dates, refunds are available at points of purchase.

Poor Justin Bieber has been having a rough time. First, he was slammed for bringing his pet monkey, Mally, to Germany where the animal was put in quarantine because he failed to bring the necessary documentation. Now he’s being attacked on Facebook and in the press for an entry he wrote in a guestbook at the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam Friday night:

Anne Frank

Truly inspiring to be able to come here. Anne was a great girl. Hopefully she would have been a belieber.”

Personally, after reading what the 19-year-old Canadian pop star wrote, all I have to say is: Don’t you think you’re being a little bit hard on the Bieber?

Bieber, who will be performing July 3 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, should be commended for going to the Anne Frank House. That’s what museum spokeswoman Maatje Mostart said to the Associated Press, noting that the museum was happy to give him a guided tour at his request and didn’t see anything offensive in his remarks.

Sure, his wording may seem self-serving. But the worst thing you can do to for our dead is to forget them. Bieber honored Anne’s memory by his visit and by imagining her life in a modern context instead of leaving her in an enshrined and untouchable past.

Anne became the face of the Holocaust when her diary of hiding out from the Nazis with her family was published after her death. She died at age 15 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, roughly a month before the camp was liberated. It is important to remember that she brought home the horror of the genocide that took the lives of millions because so many could relate to the longings she described.

She was wise beyond her years, writing unforgettable lines in the midst of unimaginable horror such as “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” At the same time, she was a teen like so many others who loved movie stars, dancers and royalty and used a paste pot to plaster their pictures on her wall.

“This makes it look much more cheerful,” she wrote happily, offering “thanks to Daddy” who brought her film-star collection and picture postcards to their hiding place.

She brought the tragedy home because parents felt that this could have been their child; kids felt that she could have been them.

Would she have been a Belieber? Who knows? If Bieber had been one of the stars of her day, she may have been. If imagining her as a fellow Belieber helps another teen find her connection with Anne Frank, that’s not just a good thing, that’s a great thing.

So thank you, Justin Bieber. We’re looking forward to seeing you in Dallas. It would be very cool if you visit the Dallas Holocaust Museum-Center for Education and Tolerance while you’re here.

Will Richie Sambora be on stage with his Bon Jovi band mates in Dallas Thursday night? It’s not impossible—in the same way that it’s not impossible that Congress might agree on deficit reduction.

You know…anything’s possible. Just don’t plan on it.

Sambora left the tour last week before a show in Calgary. On stage in Canada, Bon Jovi told the crowd, “I had two choices: Pack up and go home or give you everything I got. Richie Sambora won’t be performing for a while.”

Despite lots of tabloid fanning of the flames, The News has learned that reports of a Bon Jovi-Sambora feud are unfounded.

But that has not stopped the organs of speculation like Page Six, TMZ and Perez Hilton. They’ve got enough conspiracy theories to make an Oliver Stone movie, but the two principles—Sambora and Bon Jovi—are staying on message. Sambora is taking a break for “personal reasons.”

Bon Jovi and his bandmates arrived in Dallas late Wednesday from Austin. Bon Jovi told the Austin American-Statesman, “I think Richie’s doing all right [but] I haven’t spoken to him. We were surprised. It was 3:30 on show day and we got a phone call that he wouldn’t be there. It’s a personal matter.”

Last week, TMZ reported that the split between Sambora and Bon Jovi was not about Richie’s boozing and partying, it was a fight over money.

“Don’t believe what you read on TMZ,” Bon Jovi said, “because it’s the furthest thing from the truth.”

The situation is not without precedent. Sambora pulled out mid-tour way, way, way back in 2011, when he went to rehab. On that occasion, session guitarist Philip “Phil X” Xenidis, took over Sambora’s work load. Last week, Phil X was once again called up to the the bigs. Expect him to be standing in for Sambora at American Airlines Center.

Justin Bieber announced this a.m. that he would be extending his tour by 30 shows “due to overwhelming demand,” something I don’t doubt at all. This makes American Airlines Center one lucky venue, with the Dallas date set for July 3.

Tickets go on sale starting Friday, Dec. 14. If you’re feeling particularly VIP, for a few hundred dollars you can meet-n-greet and take a photo with the pop star, and grab some signed goodies before taking a seat in the first five rows. For $225 and slightly below there are myriad other VIP options; all comes with varying shades of high-quality merch.

Biebs will have a few months to recuperate; the current leg of the tour is scheduled to end in late April in Finland.

The Believe World Tour will start up again June 22 in San Diego. Plans are for it to end in Atlanta on Aug. 10, 2013. Go to see him as many times as your fluttering hearts will allow: A cool dollar from each ticket sold will go to Pencils of Promise, a charity that funds the building of schools and other educational opportunities in developing countries.

Mary J. Blige waves from the stage Nov. 12 at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards. Her concert date at American Airlines Center has been postponed. The tour has stopped in Houston in early September, with guests that included the ever-elusive D'Angelo.

There was a rumor Thursday afternoon that the Mary J. Blige “Liberation” tour stop here at American Airlines Center had been cancelled. That wasn’t quite accurate. The tour date has been postponed, with tickets to be honored at a future date not yet announced.

Rumor also had it that opener Brandy had dropped from the Dallas show, but there was no word on a definite postponement until this morning via email from the venue. There aren’t any clues as to why via Mary J. Blige’s Twitter account (@maryjblige). The last tweet there is a retweet from pastor Joel Osteen, and the one before that was a picture of her and Solange Knowles at Glamour‘s Women of the Year Awards (our own Selena Gomez!), which was on Nov. 12.

The text of the news release this a.m.:

Due to unforeseen circumstances the Mary J Blige & Friend Liberation tour date originally scheduled for November 18thin Dallas, TX at the American Airlines Center will be postponed for a future date. Tickets for the November 18th 2012, show will be honored at the next show date.

Guests will not need to do anything with their tickets for the rescheduled date. Any requests for refunds should be directed to Ticketmaster or the original place of purchase …

Can’t wait to see the amazing Gabby Douglas in person? The gold-medal winning Flying Squirrel and her gold medal-winning Olympic teammates will be touring in the 40-city Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions that begins Sept. 8 in San Jose, California, and ends Nov. 18 in Brooklyn, New York.

And they’ll all be jumping and twirling and leaping Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. They’ll be joined by our hometown gold medalist Nastia Liukin of Parker, too. Tickets are already on sale for $28.50-$91.00, with a $1 service charge per order.

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith rocked a full American Airlines Center Saturday night.

Joe Perry and Steven Tyler ascended in a cloud of billowy smoke from underneath the end of a long catwalk. It was a quintessential rock entrance tailored for a sold-out arena crowd. Tyler, his trademark scarves-draped microphone stand at his black nail-polished fingertips, immediately launched into 1977′s “Draw the Line.”

Rock ‘n’ roll familiarity never fails to send an energizing electric rush through a receptive audience. So the packed house Saturday night at American Airlines Center reacted in kind, giving Aerosmith instant approval.

It’s been two years since Tyler and company played Dallas. It’s also been eight years since the iconic rock band released a new studio album. Music From Another Dimension! will arrive in early November, and Aerosmith performed a couple of catchy, rhythmic numbers from the project – “Oh Yeah” and “Legendary Child.”

But the “Global Warming Tour,” opened by special guest Cheap Trick, was all about the staples. For the first trek after Tyler officially vacated the American Idol judge chair, the group dipped into material from albums released in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and 2000s. They even dusted off their cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together,” which they recorded for 1978′s soundtrack to the film fiasco Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Tyler, Perry, drummer Joey Kramer, bassist Tom Hamilton and rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford were all in fine form. Tyler pranced around in his usual glam-fortified fashion as if he owned the stage. Perry gave us a memorable guitar solo standing by an amp dressed with an American flag. Kramer’s drum solo was a muscular, no-frills triumph.

Cheap Trick put on a rousing opening show at AAC.

Assisted by a couple of female background vocalists as well as keyboardist Russ Irwin and percussionist Jesse Sky Kramer (Joey’s son), the Aerosmith guys seamlessly floated between the earlier, classic sound and the latter, more commercially punchy style. “Same Old Song and Dance,” “Sweet Emotion,” “Walk This Way” and “Dream On” blended with “Love In an Elevator,” “Livin’ On the Edge,” “Pink” and “Rag Doll.”

Aerosmith always managed to reinvent itself for the masses without losing its inherent musicality. Power ballads notwithstanding, especially the cringe-inducing “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” the Boston-formed band stayed true to its creative forces. That’s why 42 years after its inception, Aerosmith still sells out arenas.

Cheap Trick, the lads from Illinois, delivered a rousing hour-long rock set that featured great performances from lead singer Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson and drummer Daxx Nielsen, Rick’s son, filling in for original drummer Bun E. Carlos.

We got the key hits – “Surrender,” “Dream Police,” “I Want You to Want Me,” “She’s Tight” and “The Flame” – played with vigor, precision. Zander hit the high notes during “The Flame,” and Nielsen amazed us with his five-neck guitar. Plus, the cover of Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame” with Aerosmith’s Whitford along for the ride was a definite jam in an already musically vigorous show.

"Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour" lets Bubbles the chimp play DJ as a Cirque du Soleil act goes on below.

Fans are remembering Michael Jackson, who died three years ago today, and so are the creators of Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour, which will be at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The show’s Facebook page says, “We also remember Michael Jackson, especially today. And as we prepare for our Dallas premiere tomorrow night we’re so thankful to get to pay tribute to him in all that we do!”

Judging from the press photos, you can expect to see a dancing Bubbles, the gates to Neverland, a Jackson Five-esque group and a giant sequined glove. Of course, the show also features a wide variety of cirque acts.